Holiday Spritz Cookies

These adorable cookies are traditional holiday treats in Scandinavia. They are made with a simple butter dough that is extruded through a cookie press—an inexpensive baking tool that comes with die plates in different shapes. (Kids will enjoy helping!) You will definitely want to double the recipe so you can gift these to everyone you know, perhaps stacked in glass jars and tied with ribbon. I like to use three or four different gel food colors, and also colored sanding sugar, to create a festive plate.

MAKES 75 to 85 cookies (depending on cookie-press die used)

INGREDIENTS

2¼ cups (304g/10.7oz) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup/2 sticks (226g/8oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup (100g/3.5oz) granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Gel food coloring of choice

3 tablespoons white sanding sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Assemble your cookie press.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle, cream the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
4. On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain, about 10 seconds.
5. Portion out into separate bowls the amount of dough you want to color. Add the desired food coloring and mix until combined. If you want to make several colors divide the dough into 3 to 4 equal parts. I used plain, pink, and blue, as shown here.
   

   Add tiny drops of gel food coloring for pastel colors.

6. Gently form portions of the dough into cylinder-shaped pieces to fit into the cookie press.
   

   Form the dough into cylinder-shaped pieces.

7. Don’t overload the press with dough; leave at least an inch of space near the end of cylinder. If you don’t, it’ll be difficult to press out the cookies. It’s also important that the disk you place inside the barrel lies flat.
   

   Make sure the disk lies flat inside the barrel of the cookie press.

8. Set out a clean, grease-free, and unlined baking sheet. It’s very important that your baking sheet be clean and grease-free or the cookies won’t stick. Place the end of the cookie press firmly onto the pan and pull the trigger 1 or 2 times.
   

   Use a clean, grease-free, unlined baking sheet.

9. Once you feel the dough sticking to the sheet, quickly pull the press straight up and away from the cookie. It may take you a few tries to get the hang of it. It’s fine; you can reuse the dough. Space cookies 2 inches apart. You can get 12 to 18 cookies per pan, depending on the size.
   

   Quickly pull the press straight up and away from the cookie.

10. Sprinkle generously with the white sanding sugar to finish.
11. Bake one sheet at a time. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until barely golden on the bottom.
12. Let the cookies sit on the pan for 5 minutes, then gently transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Be sure to thoroughly clean the baking sheet before using again. Store in airtight containers.